History was made at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in the -90kg category. Nikoloz Sherazadishvili became Spain’s first ever male Senior World Judo Champion.

In the beginning

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Niko and his twin brother, Alexandre, indulged multiple sports as children before settling on judo and football respectively. Starting judo at 10 years old, he had no idea about the sport, only that his father was a judoka and had medals of his own.

Twin brother , Alexandre, Niko and father, Zakaria.

Niko explains, even though his brother was doing a different sport, they still managed to create some competition at home.

“My brother was the only one [of his siblings] who did sport, my twin brother had not practiced judo so the only rivalry we had was running. This is where we have always had a small rivalry, always, daily because we trained together until he quit, but it was the small rivalry to see who could win in running.”

Before committing to judo, Niko was also active in water polo, but was encouraged by his father to commit to judo and so he left the water behind. Fortunately for the judo world, this decision and guidance has led Sherazadishvili to great success in his career with undoubtedly much more to come.

Relocation to Spain

As a young man in his early teenage years, Niko’s parents made the decision to move his family to Spain, to provide better opportunities for their children. For most this would have posed a great difficulty, but with the support of his family, he was able to adjust and Niko found solace in the familiarity of judo. His intelligence and kind spirit allowed him to adjust to a different way of life very quickly. Learning a new language both in school and at judo practice by becoming a member of the Brunete Judo family very early on, certainly helped with his transition to a new country, but it was not without difficulties.

“I continued with judo very early, I started in the school very early and I had friends, but the thing that I missed so much, the thing that was hardest for me, I did not see my family, my friends and that was one or two years that I still missed them, but I was getting used to it here.”

Sherazadishvili showing promise from a young age.

In the charming town of Brunete lies the Brunete Judo Club, ran by World Silver medallist, Joaquin Ruiz, better known as ‘Quino’. His coach speaks very highly of his pupil, recognising his talent when he walked through the door, as a tall, skinny young teen. Young Sherazadishvili fit in immediately according to his coach, the club is a hospitable environment, the sense of family dominant within.

“Brunete, those who know, it is a club where everybody has good relationships, we are a family and Niko fits easily because he is a nice guy and he connects easily without any problems.” Quino.

Competitive History

Before becoming a regular on the senior world stage, Niko was a successful junior athlete, taking a silver medal twice at the Junior World Championships in 2014 and 2015. However, his most memorable achievement was his first medal at the Junior European Championships, in Romania 2014, where he took a bronze.

An ever-growing collection for the World Champion. – Gabi Juan

Sherazadishvili has blended in seamlessly as a senior, entering senior tournaments as a junior player for experience and to see what was required of him. Though it may appear he has become an overnight success, the athlete believes there has been a slow progression of the maturity of his judo. Using this experience he has worked hard to avoid making the same mistakes in contests, so that when he arrived as a senior, he was fully prepared. So in 2016, when he wasn’t expecting a result, he took his first senior medal at the Grand Prix in his birth city of Tbilisi, Georgia.

“My first medal in a Grand Prix in Tbilisi was very special because all my family could come to watch me and support me and I think that helped me and gave me extra motivation, and an extra pressure to have the possibility to dedicate this medal to them.”

Although his biggest challenge this year would be stepping on the tatami in the World Championships, he also had another goal of taking a European medal. In Tel Aviv, Israel, he was able to achieve that and secured a bronze medal, giving him confidence for the months ahead.

The 22 year old dedicates his life to judo, training consistently to be the best and keep his number one position. His gruelling schedule starts with an early morning run prior to weight training and conditioning at his local gym. In the afternoon, his time is spent on the mat perfecting his craft with his training partners and personal coach. Niko concludes his day with randori sessions both in his home club, Brunete and in the national training centre in Madrid.

Throughout his multi-faceted routine it is clear that the new World Champion takes pride in the work he does both on and off the mat. Niko attributes his success to his mental strength, but it is evident that everything he does in his training and his work ethic is what provides him with that.